Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Nico
Gallo had his fucking hands on her.
The image is burned into my mind, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her close like he had any right to touch what’s mine.
If Eleonora hadn't been there––I didn't want to risk her getting hurt––I would’ve made sure to put a bullet in his head before leaving.
I drag a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply as the car speeds through the night. I glance down at her.
She’s fallen asleep with her head resting on my chest, hand still resting on my wound. The blonde wig is slightly askew, a few dark strands escaping at her temple.
She looks peaceful like this, no fire, no defiance, just soft breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
I reach up and carefully brush the stray hair away from her face. My fingers linger on her cheek for a moment before I lean down and press a slow kiss to her temple.
I’m glad she’s okay. The thought of losing her tonight, of Gallo taking her from me, makes something violent twist in my chest. She’s mine. Gallo can’t have her. No one can.
Gallo’s men had distracted my guards. That’s why they weren’t watching her closely enough. I’ll deal with that failure later.
I remember what she told me earlier, how Gallo said he made a mistake and now wants her instead of Sienna. I shake my head, jaw tightening.
He can only have her over my dead body.
She belongs to me now. I don’t care about the original deal with her father. When Massimo fulfills his end, I won’t honor mine. I’ll find another way. I’ll burn everything down if I have to.
I know she feels the same way about me.
She had every opportunity to run tonight. When the chaos erupted, she could have slipped away into the panicked crowd and disappeared. But she didn’t. She stayed. She fought beside me.
The driver’s voice comes through the intercom. “We’ve arrived at the mansion, sir.”
I blink, realizing I’ve been lost in my own head the entire ride. I look down at her again, then carefully lift her into my arms. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake as I carry her out of the car and up the stairs to her bedroom.
I lay her down gently on the bed and pull the covers over her. Her eyes flutter open.
“Nico...”
“Hey, I’ll be right back,” I murmur, brushing her hair from her face. “Just need to make a quick call. We’re home.”
I lean down and kiss her forehead, lingering for a second longer, before forcing myself to pull away and leave the room.
I stop in the infirmary and clean out my wound and bandage it. Then I head down the hall.
Marco is already waiting in my office, pacing like a caged animal. The second I walk in, he turns on me.
“Any news on Gallo?” I ask.
“He and his men fled the party after you left. Same as Massimo. I take it they are meeting up to think up ways to come at us.”
“Yeah, I'm sure.”
“That was a bad idea, Nico. A really fucking bad idea.”
“I know,” I say, closing the door behind me. “But it worked. We confirmed what we needed, her father and the Gallos still believe we have both sisters. That gives us more time.”
Marco stops pacing and rubs his face. “Eleonora told you what Gallo said to her?”
I nod. “He asked after Sienna. Then he told her maybe he chose the wrong sister. That he likes the fire he sees in her.”
Marco’s eyes widen. “So now he has his eyes on Eleonora?”
“Yeah,” I say, voice hardening. “But Gallo is never getting her. Not while I’m breathing.”
Marco studies me for a long moment, then sighs. “You’re playing a dangerous game, brother.”
I don’t answer. Because he’s right. But I’m done pretending I’m willing to let her go when the time comes. I nod.
Marco lets out a heavy sigh. “So you care for her,” he says quietly. “You actually care about Eleonora.”
I give him another subtle nod, jaw tight.
Marco swears under his breath, dragging a hand down his face. “So what now? After the deal with her father goes through… you’re not planning to give her back, are you? What the hell is your plan, Nico?”
I pull my fingers through my hair, exhaling sharply. “I don’t know.” The truth tastes bitter on my tongue. I really don’t. The original plan was simple, use her as leverage, force Massimo to bend, then trade her back once I got what I wanted.
But nothing about Eleonora has been simple since the moment I took her.
“One thing I know for sure, I’m not letting her go back.”
Marco opens his mouth, ready to argue, but I raise a hand, cutting him off before he can start.
“We can have more of this conversation later,” I tell him. “Right now, I need to get back to her. She’s rattled after tonight.”
Marco doesn’t push. He just nods, though the worry is clear on his face.
I turn and walk out of the office without another word, heading straight upstairs to her room.
The bedroom is empty when I step inside, but the lights in the bathroom are on. I move quietly to the doorway and stop.
She’s standing in front of the mirror, staring at her own reflection. She hasn’t noticed me yet. The dress is still on, slightly rumpled, the blonde wig still on.
I watch her for a long moment, taking her in. The way her fingers lightly trace the hickey I left on her neck earlier. The slight furrow between her brows.
What is going on in that head of yours?
Does she regret not running tonight when she had the chance? Does she regret letting me touch her, kiss her, fuck her? Is she standing there wondering how she ended up in my bed instead of escaping back to her family?
The thought sends a sharp pang of fear through my chest, something I’m not used to feeling. What if she doesn’t want to stay? What if, when this is all over and her father fulfills his end, she chooses to go back? What if she wants her old life more than she wants me?
The idea of her leaving, makes something dark and ugly twist inside me. I’ve never been possessive like this. Never cared enough to feel this kind of fear.
But with her… it’s different. She’s under my skin, in my blood, and the thought of losing her now feels intolerable.
I stay silent in the doorway, watching her, wondering if she’s already planning her next escape.
Eleonora
I stand in front of the mirror and stare at my reflection for a long time.
My hair is wild and messy, strands falling loose from the wig. My makeup is smudged, mascara slightly run. And there, on the side of my neck, is the mark he left.
I look different.
Not just physically. The woman staring back at me isn’t the same Eleonora who willingly took her sister’s place days ago.
That girl had been angry, defiant, ready to sacrifice herself.
This woman… she has changed. Softer in some places.
Hungrier in others. She let the enemy touch her. Kiss her. Fuck her.
I pick up a damp cloth and bring it to my face, gently wiping away the remnants of the night.
“Hey.”
Nico’s voice comes from the doorway, low and quiet.
I turn. He’s leaning against the frame, suit jacket long gone, white shirt still bearing faint streaks of dried blood, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looks tired but impossibly handsome in the soft bathroom light.
“Hey,” I whisper back.
He walks over slowly and stops just behind me. His eyes meet mine in the mirror, searching.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, voice gentler than I expected. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I’m just… looking at myself. Wondering when I changed. I’m not who I used to be anymore.”
Tonight confirmed it.
His eyes lock on mine through the reflection, dark and searching.
“Do you like what you see?” he asks quietly. “Or do you dislike the woman staring back at you?”
I shake my head slowly. “No. I don’t dislike her.” My voice trembles slightly. “As a matter of fact… I like what I see. I’m bolder now. I’m starting to realize what I want.”
He doesn’t move, but his gaze intensifies. “What is it that you want?”
I deflect, turning the question back on him. “What’s going to happen to me after all of this is done?” I meet his eyes in the mirror. “You said before that you didn’t know. But have you decided now? Are you going to send me back to my father?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he steps closer until his chest brushes my back. His voice is low, almost gentle.
“What do you want, Eleonora?” he asks again. “Tell me.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I had the chance to run tonight. But I didn’t.”
The admission hangs heavy between us.
He watches me carefully. “Do you want to go back?”
I look down at my hands on the counter, ashamed of my own answer. “Maybe not.” My voice cracks. “I don’t want to. But if my sisters need me… then I would have to. They’re the most important thing to me in the world. I can’t just abandon them.”
Nico is quiet for a long moment. When I glance up, his expression is dark, something possessive and conflicted flashing across his face.
“Of course,” he says finally, voice rough. “I understand that.”
I sigh, turning on the faucet again and splashing cool water on my face. I just want all of this to be over. I want to wash everything off. Gallo. Everything.
Nico’s hands settle gently on my shoulders. He turns me slowly to face him.
“We’ll only do what you want,” he says quietly. “If you want to stay… you’ll stay. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect your sisters.”
Before I can respond, he grabs a towel. I watch, surprised, as he brings it to my face and begins gently wiping away the remnants of my makeup. His movements are slow, tender, thumb brushing softly under my eyes to clean the smudged mascara.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” He gives me a small, almost tender smile. “Tell me about your sisters.”
I hesitate for a second, then the words start spilling out as he continues cleaning my face with careful strokes.
“They’re everything to me,” I say softly.
“After our mother died, I became the one who protected them. Rosalia’s already married off, but Sienna, Camilla and Daniela…
they still look to me for advice and help.
I’ve always tried to stand between them and my father’s anger.
I feel like if I’m not there, they’ll break.
Especially Daniela. She’s the youngest. She still gets scared easily. ”
Nico listens intently, his fingers gentle as he wipes the last traces of lipstick from my mouth. Tears start gathering in my eyes.
“I’m really sorry about tonight,” I whisper, voice cracking. “I know it was risky. I didn’t think Gallo would recognize me. I just… I just needed to see them. To know they were okay.”
The tears spill over. I try to hold them back, but they fall anyway.
Nico shushes me softly, pulling me into his arms. He wraps me up completely, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other rubbing slow circles on my back.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs against my hair. “Everything’s going to be alright.”
He stays like that until my breathing evens out. Then he gently helps me out of the dress, unzipping it slowly, letting it pool at my feet. His fingers are careful as he removes the hairpins, takes off the wig and lets my hair fall loose down my back.
He unhooks my bra and slides my panties down my legs, all without being sexual.
I help him too, unbuttoning his bloodstained shirt, sliding it off his shoulders. My fingers brush over the waterproof bandage on his ribs.
“It’s nothing,” he reassures me. “Just a scratch.”
He turns on the shower, adjusting the temperature until it’s perfect, then guides me under the warm spray with him. The water cascades over us, washing away the night, the fear, the blood, the chaos. I lean into him, resting my forehead against his chest as the steam rises around us.
Nico turns me around and reaches for my shampoo, squeezing some into his palm before working it gently into my hair. His fingers massage my scalp in slow, soothing circles, and I close my eyes, leaning back into his touch.
There’s nothing sexual about it, just care. He rinses my hair carefully, making sure no suds get in my eyes, then picks up the loofah and my body wash.
He lathers it and runs it over my shoulders, down my arms, across my back, and over my legs.
When we’re done, he turns off the water and wraps me in a thick towel. He dries me thoroughly, then lifts me into his arms.
“I can walk,” I murmur against his chest.
“I know,” he says simply. “But I like carrying you.”
He carries me back to the bed and lays me down gently, pulling the covers over me. I watch as he starts to move away.
I reach for his hand. “Please… stay with me. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
He hesitates for only a second before sliding into bed beside me. The moment he’s close, I lean in and kiss him. He kisses me back at first, and I try to deepen it, pressing my body against his, he pulls away with a small shake of his head.
“Not tonight,” he murmurs. “You need to rest.”
“I don’t,” I whisper, pressing closer. “I’ll rest after you fuck me.”
Nico groans, low and rough, his cock already hardening against my thigh.
“Fuck, Eleonora,” he breathes. “You saying shit like that does dangerous things to me.”
I can feel him getting harder, pressing insistently against me. I shift my hips, rubbing myself against his length.
“Please,” I beg softly. “I need you.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me, eyes dark with lust and concern. “You sure?”
I nod, biting my lip. “Yes.”
Nico searches my face for another second, then captures my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss.